AIB College of Business to become the University of Iowa Des Moines campus

AIB College of Business to become the University of Iowa Des Moines campus

AIB College of Business to become the University of Iowa Des Moines campus

Historic agreement will expand access to UI programs

UI President Sally Mason joined AIB College of Business President Nancy Williams, Iowa Board of Regents President Bruce Rastetter, and AIB board of trustees chairman Chris Costa for the Jan. 26 announcement.

Updated (Feb. 6): University of Iowa President Sally Mason announced Feb. 5 that the University of Iowa will begin offering programming in July 2016 in Des Moines at the property now occupied by the AIB College of Business. The 20-acre campus will become the “Regents Regional Resource Center operated by the University of Iowa.” Full story

AIB College of Business today (Monday, Jan. 26) announced that it will become the University of Iowa Des Moines campus. Transition is expected to take at least a year, but the two schools will immediately establish an integration team to begin the process. Eventually Iowa will own AIB’s land and buildings, and AIB students will become Iowa students.

“AIB has always changed with the times, and becoming part of the University of Iowa allows us to maintain the commitment we made to our students and the surrounding region to always provide high quality educational opportunities in Des Moines,” said Nancy A. Williams, president of AIB.

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Founded in 1921, the school, originally located in downtown Des Moines, provided a variety of business training programs. In 1941, it was reorganized as a nonprofit institution, and in the 1950s, it began awarding associate degrees. In 1972, AIB moved to its current 20-acre campus on Fleur Drive. Today, it also offers bachelor of science degrees in seven business-related majors. Fall 2014 enrollment at AIB was more than 1,000 students.

“The University of Iowa is honored to have been chosen to continue the legacy of AIB. This allows us to achieve an important goal of broadening our service to the greater Des Moines area,” said University of Iowa President Sally Mason.

“I know that our students, faculty, staff and alumni will have many questions but I can tell you both institutions are fully committed to keeping everyone well-informed during the integration and supporting students as they complete their degrees,” Williams said.

Iowa Board of Regents President Bruce Rastetter expressed his strong support for the integration.

“AIB has had a long tradition of working with the businesses in Des Moines and central Iowa and adapting to their changing needs. I’m excited that we will continue that tradition on this campus through the University of Iowa,” Rastetter said.

The chairman of AIB’s Board of Trustees, Chris Costa, said, “Our board is predominantly comprised of business people. We feel strongly that maintaining healthy colleges and universities in the Des Moines metropolitan area enhances our workforce and improves the quality of life for all of Central Iowa. And expanding access to a nationally recognized university like Iowa is good for the whole state.”